Adam Devault has been the handler for the Nashville Predators' mascot, Gnash, for 14 seasons.

Adam Devault has been the handler for the Nashville Predators' mascot, Gnash, for 14 seasons.

Sitting in the Predators' offices recently, Devault talked about his time handling the friendly non-speaking saber-toothed tiger.

Devault said Gnash misses performing during the games. With the cast off his injured left leg, he plans to return to the ice Tuesday when the Predators face Edmonton.

Among the interesting tidbits from our conversation:

* Gnash was injured training for the season. He broke his leg on a treadmill. "He was training hard for the season," Devault said. "In the offseason, Gnash gains a little bit of weight. He was on the treadmill, fell off. And we learned that cats don't always land on four feet."

* Gnash does approximately 600 public appearances each year, not including the 41 home regular-season games and preseason games.

* The most common public events are hospital visits and birthday parties.

* He's received many different types of requests. He's been invited to weddings, where he's walked the bride down the aisle.

* He's also been invited to funerals of Predator fans.

* He's also accepted prom date requests.

* Perhaps the strangest request? "We do a lot of fantasy football drafts," Devault said. "That's an odd one. We get calls wanting Gnash to do the drawing for draft orders at fantasy football parties. "